I Remember the Popular Singer Perry Como

Updated on December 3, 2011

Not Perry Como, and only singing as part of the congregation, but still remembering him with fondness and appreciation. | Source

A fall day long ago....

Perry Como came on to sing not long after the cadets of our West Point Cadet Chapel Choir (which was all young men in those days) had arranged ourselves as tenors and basses on the staging he would stand in front of.

It was not to be a live broadcast, but rather a taping for television in 1957 in New York City. It was a treat for us to get to "the big city" but a treat made even bigger by the opportunity it gave us to observe Perry Como who was easily one of the best loved male singers of that time. (See the Wikipedia link below for many more details.)

As I recall now, more than 50 years later, the taping went smoothly and quickly. There were the normal tests for voice levels, etc. Then the songs were sung. Mr. Como smiled his appreciation, and we departed with a feeling of satisfaction that the recording appeared to have gone well, and everyone else involved seemed satisfied, too.

What was most memorable for me was that I hardly heard Perry Como sing!

He sang so softly, with so little strain on his voice, that were it not for the microphone we would have stayed much longer to produce an acceptable session. (The actual program was every bit up to a fine quality standard, but nonetheless I have thought about his soft, mellow, yet resonant singing for all these years since that day.)

I have also concluded that his chosen method, quite in contrast to today's singers many of whom seem to have to "belt out" their songs, was the explanation of how Mr. Como was able to remain on the pop charts for the number of years that he did (and has) since that day of our combined singing of sacred and patriotic songs.

There won't be the live, televised Perry Como Show for future Christmases, but his songs and their interpretations remain popular, especially at the Christmas season, along with those of Bing Crosby, Burl Ives, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and other contemporaries who have also joined their own Long Gray Line.....singing along with a different choir.